Report From New Amsterdam Market’s Ice Cream Sunday

August 22, 2011

The organizers of the New Amsterdam Market could not have begged and pleaded for better weather yesterday for their second annual Ice Cream Sunday. The high sun and disgusting humidity were an ideal combination for marathon ice cream consumption, as illustrated by the the sticky-faced crowds in attendance.

Ten vendors showed up to dispense mini-cones to the masses, and compete for the title of Most Creative Flavor. The winner, as chosen by the power pop trio of Anne Saxelby, Jeffrey Steingarten, and Gabrielle Langholtz, was Early Bird Cookery’s hay ice cream. We can personally attest that it was as unusual as it was delicious, so congratulations to Amy Miller and her associates, whose buttermilk and cookies and corn and caramel flavors we also loved.

What follows is a gallery of minuscule ice cream cones, procured from the Bent Spoon, Steve’s Ice Cream, Otto, Blue Bottle Coffee, Early Bird Cookery, Victory Garden, King Leche Crème, and La Newyorkina. We didn’t get to try Van Leeuwen or Marlow & Sons, but there’s always next year.

Rebecca Marx

The Bent Spoon’s roasted beet and goat cheese ice cream was one of our three favorites. We couldn’t decide which we loved more: the sweet, tangy, earthy flavor, or the color.

The Bent Spoon’s chocolate cipollini was another one of its vegetable-based ice creams. Its sweet, lusty flavor completely erased any doubt that we had about chocolate and onions being made for each other.

Rebecca Marx

Early Bird Cookery’s lovely corn and caramel ice cream was, true to its name, like caramel corn, only way more prone to melting.

Rebecca Marx

King Lechè Crème is the project of Walter Youngblood, who made his ice cream in the kitchen of wd~50. This was Youngblood’s first public event, and if the sweet, delectable burn of this honey and bourbon ice cream was any indication, it won’t be his last.

Rebecca Marx

In a break from tradition, Fany Gerson doled out ice cream, not paletas, from her La Newyorkina booth.

Rebecca Marx

Both Victory Garden and the Bent Spoon boasted substantial lines throughout the afternoon.

Rebecca Marx

A row of cones wait to receive the terrific corn and lemon verbena-blackberry swirl gelati that Meredith Kurtzman dispensed at the Otto booth.

Rebecca Marx

La Newyorkina’s honey-roasted apricot ice cream was also in our top three: Lush and full-bodied, it was like apricots played through a Marshall stack.

Rebecca Marx

To serve their salted caramel ice cream, workers at the Steve’s booth first smeared a little blob of Liddabit salted caramel into the cones. The result was unsurprisingly delicious, and very creamy.

We’ve long been fans of Steve’s strawberry ricotta ice cream, and this miniature serving only reaffirmed our love.

Rebecca Marx

Victory Garden’s boozy apple caramel ice cream — made with goat’s milk — was the third of our three favorites. It was like flambéed apple pie, and boasted both a smooth, sultry burn and an impeccably smooth, creamy texture.